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A Quiet Glow The Morning After

Posted Apr 24, 2014
by Aaron Portzline
| 0 comments

Nationwide Arena is mostly empty this morning, save for a few workers milling about. Blue Jackets coaches arrived early to do what they do -- review film, get updates on injured players, strategize for Saturday's Game 5 -- but players were given a day off to rest weary legs and bruised bones.

Still, there was an afterglow in Nationwide, a lingering electricity from the Blue Jackets' rousing 4-3 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

"I slept very well last night," Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards said. He may have gone to bed late, though, like many others in Columbus.

One got the sense last night that our city was transformed in some way. Yes, it's had major league sports here for more than a decade, but the Blue Jackets -- to many -- joined the big leagues last night, and they dragged central Ohio along with them.

Last night's game had all the elements in place to be a lifelong memory. You could say it had Babe Ruth calling his shot and Bill Buckner flubbing an easy grounder, all rolled up into one hockey game.

As the final minute ticked away, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury went roaming behind his net to play a puck that he never touched. Ryan Johansen shoveled the puck to the slot, and Brandon Dubinsky fired through two Penguins into the net to tie the game with 23.2 seconds remaining.

Then, only 2:49 into overtime, Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno -- who told his teammates that he was going to score the game-winner -- beat Fleury from 60 feet away for a 4-3 win.

The roar was deafening. The pile of Blue Jackets swarming Foligno against a wall in the neutral zone, while fans - some of them crying -- banged on the glass was a dream for photographers.

"The struggles are what makes you able to enjoy the success more," Richards said. "I know there's been struggles here. The fans have been great because they've stuck through it."

Foligno kept the puck. He'll also keep the memories.

"That crowd," Foligno said. "They helped keep us going. Even down 3-0, they didn't stop, they kept cheering. And the noise when that goal went in ... chills."

The series now begins anew. It's 2-2, with Game 5 set for Saturday at 7 p.m. in Consol Energy Center.

"It’s best of three," Richards said. "We’re guaranteed another home game here, Game 6. That’s great for our fans and our organization. But for right now our focus is on Saturday.

"It’s not going to be easy. This is a team (Pittsburgh) that has won. They know what it takes to win. They’ve played in a lot of 2-2 series before, and for a lot of our guys it’s going to be a new experience. They’re going to come out and play, and we have to be ready for the first period. I expect they’ll come out with the same energy as in Game 2, and we have to be ready for that."

Richards has been mum on injuries since the playoff started, but he said today he "hopes" defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Ryan Murray will return before this series with Pittsburgh is finished.

"Don't know if it will be Saturday," Richards said. "The next game is Monday. We're hoping to get them back, yes."

Tyutin, who hasn't played since the first period of Game 2, skated today and fired a few pucks. Right wing Nathan Horton, who had abdominal surgery two weeks ago, was out there with him, firing pucks.

The Blue Jackets will likely go with the same lineup on Saturday. Defenseman David Savard, who moved up from the third pair to the first pair in the wake of Tyutin's injury, has been very good. Nick Schultz drew into the lineup last night and played well.

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